Manufacture of steel.



Patented May 30, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES VERNON, OF NEIVTON STEWVART, SCOTLAND.

MANUFACTURE OF STEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 791,170, dated May 30,1905.

Application filed January 12, 1904. Serial No. 188,768.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that'I, JAMES VERNON, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, and a resident of Albert street, Newton Stewart, Scotland, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements Relating to the Manufactureof Steel, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the present invention is to improve the quality of steelfor manufacturing purposes by eliminating certain of the impuritieswhich create blow-holes in the manufactured product and otherwise impairthe density and ductility of the metal.

In carrying out my invention I follow the most approved methods ofproducing a finished steel, making use of an admixture of other metals,such as ferromanganese and aluminium, as well as of silicon, which areall recognized as useful additions for improving the quality of themetal. Furthermore, I employ other substances which act partlychemically and partly mechanically on the phosphorus, sulfur, and otherimpurities,

which at present are a source of trouble in steel manufacture.

In manufacturing according to my invention I prefer to proceed in thefollowing man- Her: The steel is prepared in the ordinary way in as purea condition as possible and the mixture or physio composed of theingredients hereinafter mentioned is put into the ladle before themolten metal. The physio contains, in the condition of fine powder,ferromanganese and aluminium, as before mentioned, and refined siliciouscullet, obtained either from native rock-crystal or from coarse glass,which is comparatively free from lead and other metallic impurities. Thecullet will yield silicon and in melting will act mechanically upon themolten mass, besides increasing somewhat the temperature thereof. Otheringredients of the mixture are porous earth of a clayey or loamy natureand what is known in the industrial arts as kelpviz., the calcined ashesof seaweed. The former, from its comparative lightness, will have atendency to rise through the molten mass,

thereby providing an escape for the occluded gases, which, if theyremain in the metal, are the cause of the blow-holes. The kelp, properlydried and ground, contains sodium, potassium, carbon, and iodin and hasthe effect of decomposing the phosphorus and sulfur, which can thenescape in the form of vapor.

The ingredients of the mixture are ground up into a fine powder and insuitable quantities are placed in the ladle before the steel is tappedinto it.

The proportions of the ingredients and the quantity of the mixture mustof necessity vary according to circumstances, such as the character ofthe steel under treatment and the quality to be produced. I may,however, give the following proportions as having been satisfactorilyemployed in the production of a mild steel suitable for making smallgeneral castings in chills: To every one hundred and twelve pounds ofsteel, ferromanganese, one pound; pure aluminium, one-half ounce;cullet, one-half ounce; porous earth, one and one-fourth ounces; kelp,three-fourths ounce; total, one pound three ounces.

WVhen the steel is tapped into the ladle containing the powder, a slightstir is given to the contents, and the metal is immediately ready forcasting.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. In a process of manufacturing steel the introduction of a mixturecontaining cullet, porous earth and kelp into the steel in a moltenstate, as and for the purpose described.

2. In a process of manufacturing steel the introduction of a mixture offerromanganese, aluminium, cullet, porous earth and kelp into the steelin a molten state, as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES VERNON.

"Witnesses:

JOHN MUIRHEAD DAwsoN, ANDREW SMITH.

